callard



R. P. CALLARD CHANGING BENDING ROLLERS IN SHEET GLASS DRAWING MACHINES July 31,

Filed March '27. 1922' .m .llllllllitlzo l'lilll'i' Patented July 31, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT P. CALLARD, OF CHARLESTON, NEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE LIBBEY- OWENS SHEET GLASS COMPANY, OF TOLEDO, 01-110, A. CORPORATION OF OHIO.

CHANGING BENDING ROLLERS IN SHEET-G-LASSDRAWING MACHINES.

Application filed March 27, 1922.

To all whom it concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT P. GALLARD, a citizen of the United. States, residing at Charleston, in the county of Kanawha and State of West Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Changing Bending Rollers in Sheet- Glass-Drawing Machines, of'which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new and improved method and apparatus for changing bending rolls in a sheet-glass drawing machine.

In a sheet-glass drawing mechanism of the type disclosed in the patent to Colburn, 1,248,809, dated Dec. 4, 1917, the flat sheet of glass is drawn upwardly from a pool of molten glass for a short distance, and then the still somewhat plastic sheet is bent into the horizontal over a cooled metallic bending roller. This roller must "necessarily have a verysmooth and perfect surface finish, in order not to mar the line fire-polished surface of the glass sheet as it passes thereover. Occasionally, and at irregular intervals of time, these rollers become dirty or tarnished, in which event the roller must be removed to be cleaned, and a new or substitute roller is placed in the machine. To accomplish this by ordinary methods, the machine must be, stopped, and the sheet broken stood from the following detailed descrip-j tion of one approved form of the apparatus.

off. After the new roll is in place, the drawing of the sheet must be initiated again by means of a bait, and a considerable length of sheet must be drawn before it again reaches the quality that was being obtained before the machine was stopped. All of this results in a considerable loss of time and production. I

The object of the present invention is to provide asimple apparatus and procedure whereby the new roller may be substituted for the old one without halting the sheetdrawing process. In this way practically all of the loss of time and glass will be avoided. j

The invention will be more clearly under- In the accompanyingdrawings: I Fig, 1' is a: vertical transverse section through the sheet drawing apparatus, (showing the roll-changing mechanism in side-elevation.

'Fig. 2 a vertical v longitudinal section Serial No. 547,138.

through a portion of the sheet-drawing mechanism, with the roll changing apparatus in operation. V

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail View, partly in section, of a portion of one of the roll changing devices.

In the normal operation of the sheet drawing machine, the glass sheet 1 is drawn upwardly from the bath of molten glass 2 in the receptacle 8, passing between edge-holding rollers at, and is then bent laterally over the cooled bending roller 5, and drawn off in the horizontal plane, over supporting rolls 6 and 7, by means of the drawing mechanism 8. The bending roller 5 is supported at its ends in bearings 9, removablyliung from suitable adjustable supports 10. All

of the above are parts of the sheetdrawing machine as now in use. i

The apparatus for changing the bending rollers, comprises a pair of similar roller supporting and rotating members 11 and 12, which may, be substantial duplicates of one another, and only one of-which need be described in detail. Each member 11 or 12 comprlses a supporting frame or carriage 13 mounted at itslower end on rollers or wheels 1%, so that the device may be readily moved from one sheet drawing machine to another. In a horizontal bearing 15 at the upper end of frame 13 is mounteda short shaft 16, to one end of which is keyed a double-bracket or turntable l7, and to the A smaller gear 19, rotatably'mounted on a stud 20 promoting from the frame 13, and

.having a, hand-crank 21 secured thereto, is

in mesh with the large gear 18. By turning the crank 21, the shaft 16 and turntable I7 between the supporting studs 22 and rings Outwardly projecting studs or bearings 24: on the rings 23, are adapted to be inserted into, and support, the ends of bending rollers 5 or 5". Capmembers 25, secured to the turntable, prevent the possible separation of members 23 from supporting studs 22.

Suitable looking or anchoring-means are provided to hold the members 11 or 12 in other end of whichis keyed a large gear 18.

10o bearings of any appropriate type are placed fixed position while the roll-changing operation is being performed. In the example here illustrated, slots or trackways 26 are formed or placed in the floor beneath the normal operating position of the frames 13, and a pair of locking bolts 27 are suspended through the bottom plates of the supporting frames. These bolts 27 have heads 28 adapted to be engaged in the slots 26, and nuts 29 on the screw-threadeed upper ends 30 of the bolts are used to secure the frames fixedly in position.

Passages 31- are formed through the studs 22 and 24: and flexible pipe-connections 32 extend from these passages at the back of turntable 17. Through these pipes and passages cooling air or other fluid is led into the rollers while the transfer operation is taking place. It will be understood that other means, not shown in the present drawings, are normally provided to conduct coolingfluid into the roller 5 while in normal operation. These means are disconnected and the ones just described substituted while the rollers are being changed.

lVe will assume that the glass drawing machine is operating normally with the roll 5 in place, but that this roll 5 has become tarnished or dirty, or for some other reason it is desired to substitute a new bending roller. The supporting member 11' is wheeled into position, as shown at the right in Fig. 1, one of the studs 2% being inserted in the end of roller 5. Carriage 11 is then secured in place by locking-bolts 27.

The new roller 5, which has been brought to the proper temperature and has its hearing members 9 mounted in place at the two ends of the roller is now swung into position beneath the roller 5. This is usually accomplished by carrying the roller 5 on a rod or other'tool 33 (shown in dotted lines Fig. 1), thei-od 33 being carried from an overhead crane by cables 34-. The roller 5 is swung into position beneath the operating roller5, but slightly to the rear thereof so as not to contact with the sheet 1, asshown in Fig. '2. The end of the roller 5 that has been passed through the machine is positioned over the other supporting stud 2 1 on carriage 11. The other end of roller 5 is now temporarily supported on a jack 35, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Rod 33 is now removed and the other supporting carriage 12 is wheeled into position so that the remaining ends of rollers o and '5 are carried by the studs 1 on carriage 12. Carriage 12 is'secured in pla e and jack 35 is now removed. The bearings 9 are now de tached from their supports 10, and roller 5 s now carr ed by earriages'll and 12.

Now by turning either or both of the cranks 21 the turntables 17 are rotated in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2, and the rollers 5 and 5 are swung or revolved through arcs of 180 till they have changed places one with the other. change is taking place the glass sheet 1 will be supported first on roller 5, then on both rollers 5 and 5, and finally on roller 5 alone. The sheet will be bent through varying angles for a short time, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 2, but if the operation is carefully performed the sheet is not broken, and will not be materially damaged, if at all. The sheet drawing operation is not interrupted.

w The bearings 9 are secured to the supports 10, and the old roller 5 is removed by a. pro cedure exactly the reverse of that first described. Jack 35' is placed under one end of roller 5 and the carriage 12 is removed. The crane supported tool 33 is brought into position within the roller 5, and the roller is swung out of the machine. The carriage 11 is now removed and the normal cooling devices are restored to the roller 5 now in operation. M

It will be noted that one set of these r 11- changing devices are sufficient for an entire battery of sheet drawing machines, asth'ey may be easily moved from one machine to another.

Claims:

1. The method of substituting a new bending roller in a glass drawing apparatus without halting the drawing operation, consisting in positioning the new roller parallel to the old one'but out of contact with the glass sheet, revolvingthe two rolls simultaneously through 180 about a common center so that their positions become interchanged, and then removing the old roller.

2. In an apparatus for changing bending rollers in a sheet glass drawing machine without halting the sheet drawing operation, a pair of similar roller supporting devices, each comprising a supporting frame, a turntable mounted on the frame to rotate in a plane perpendicular to theaXis of the bending roll means to rotate the turntable, and means on the turntable for supp'ortingthe adjacent endsof a pair or parallel bending rollers. V I U 3..In an apparatus for changing bending rollers in a sheet glass drawing machine without halting the'she'et'drawing operation, a pair 01 similar roller supporting device's, each'comprising a supporting frame, a turntable mounted on the frame to rotate in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the bend' ing roll, tw'o diametricallyarranged bearings. on the turntable each adapted to stippo'r't'the end of a bending roll, and means for rotating theturn'table. A

4C. In an apparati' s for changing bending rollers in a sheet glass drawing machine without halting thes'heet drawing operation, a pair of similar roller supporting devices, each comprising a supporting frame, a turnlVhile this table mounted on the frame to rotate in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the bending roll, two diametrically arrange-d bearings on the turntable each adapted to support the endof a bending roll, cooling means for the rollers mounted through each bearing and the turntable, and means for rotating the turntable.

5. In an apparatus for changing bending rollers in a sheet glass drawing machine Without halting the sheet drawing operation, a pair of similar roller supporting devices,

each comprising a supporting frame, means for anchoring the frame in place at the side of the glass drawingmachine, a turntable mounted on the frame so as to rotate in a vertical plane, two diametrically arranged hearings on the turntable each adapted to support the end of a bending roller, and means for rotating the turntable.

Signed at Charleston, in the county of Kanawha, and State of West Virginia, this 22 day of March, 1922.

7 ROBERT P. CALLARD. 

